Mighty Mack’s journey to recovery is an inspiration to us all
Breakfast with Martin Bester spoke to Megan Harrington-Johnson, Managing Partner at HJW Attorneys, about her daughter, ‘Mighty Mack’.
On 13 May 2021, Mackenzie "Mighty Mack" Friedman was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Seemingly overnight, the perfectly healthy four-month-old became a very ill cancer patient in need of urgent treatment - and a bone marrow transplant.
Mighty Mack's journey towards recovery has been an inspiration to us all.
Breakfast with Martin Bester spoke to Megan Harrington-Johnson, Managing Partner at HJW Attorneys, about her daughter, Mighty Mack.
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Mackenzie (Mighty Mack) has been incredibly brave as she’s battled cancer, but their journey as a family has been challenging.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and Megan Harrington-Johnson explained the importance of registering as a bone marrow donor through the SA Bone Marrow registry, as you could save the life of a child.
Mighty Mack is in need of a bone marrow transplant match, which you can test for with a cheek swab. Mackenzie (Mack) was formally diagnosed with Acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
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The family received good news at the end of July! Megan Harrington-Johnson shared on social media that baby Mackenzie’s bone marrow biopsy showed she is in remission. Harrington-Johnson says: “Today we got the results back from Mackenzie’s latest bone marrow biopsy. Despite her cancer blast count having been at 6% at her last extraction 6 weeks ago (after round 1 of chemo) she has somehow managed to kill her own cancer cells whilst in a coma and her latest count is 0.1%!”
Today, Megan Harrington-Johnson joins Breakfast with Martin Bester to give us another update on ‘Mighty Mack’!
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How you can help:
The South African Bone Marrow Registry has given more details as to what the process is.
The application process:
2. Complete Health Questionnaire
3. If eligible SABMR will make arrangements for cheek swab to be done all free of charge (courier or at one of our depots)
If you are a matched donor, you will undergo a full medical examination to determine your health status and assess whether you are at any risk during the donation process.
Tune in to the 'Breakfast with Martin Bester', weekdays from 06:00 - 09:00. Stream the show live here or download our mobile app here.
Image credit: Instagram/Mighty Mack